On first impressions

Warm thanks to Hobart art lovers for the enthusiastic response to my first solo exhibition at Inka Gallery, Salamanca Pl, Hobart, Tasmania. All works have now been sold and the images are listed below. Future work will be available from Inka Gallery and the Tasmania Shop and Gallery in Salamanca Pl and previewed here!

On first impressions: landmarks, colour and mystery of Battery Pt
Pastel paintings by Stephanie Parkyn
3 - 23rd March 2011 Inka Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania

On first impressions, Battery Point is a well-heeled, well-groomed woman of mature years; she’s got style, panache, and has obviously had a lot of work done. With a fresh lick of paint she stands proud against the brilliant blue sea. But is there more behind the tumbling geraniums, iron fretwork and bright red brick? Clues lie in the worn sandstone steps and the crumbling walls with stones chipped by a convict’s pick. As darkness falls her atmosphere is brooding. Imagine the secrets in her past… This is a lady with a story to tell.

Moving home is a time of exploration and discovery –navigating new streets, finding your bearings and locating landmarks, especially when out on foraging journeys. These works are a response to the colour and mystery of my new home and celebrate the buildings that inhabit it. People have come and gone, but the story lives on in the houses they leave behind.

In February 2010, I moved from New Zealand to Tasmania. I am a visual artist, writer, and freshwater scientist. Pastel painting is a new direction for me, away from my background in printmaking (primarily etching). The colours of Hobart are striking – so pastels, pure pigments of colour, seemed a natural choice to express my feelings for the Tasmanian air.

Welcome to my first solo exhibition, first pastel paintings, and first impressions of my year in Battery Point!